On Jan. 13, the well-known, childhood star, Miley Cyrus released her new single “Flowers.” After a thorough listen and a little background knowledge listeners and fans have discovered that the song may be aimed to criticize her ex-husband and fellow popstar, Liam Hemsworth.

This song is the first release in her upcoming album “Endless Summer Vacation.” Already, the song is a hit. The single is unlike her older, more well-known songs from when she was younger. The upbeat song combines her classic pop genre with a jazzy beat in the background layered with sultry and catchy lyrics that will be on repeat in listeners’ heads. 

In an article by People, Cyrus’s latest release is “…reflecting on a past relationship and affirming that everything her ex-partner did for her, she can do for herself.” 

Fans have uncovered some shady aspects of the song that affirm listeners’ beliefs that the song is targeting Liam Hemsworth, her ex. The two met in 2009 on the set of “The Last Song” where they both played the leading love interests. From then on they began a seemingly rocky, on-and-off relationship that lasted up until 2012 when they announced their first engagement which initially got postponed and then canceled. After some time apart, they got back together and were officially engaged in 2018 but ultimately ended up separating in 2020 for good. 

The whole relationship seemed to be quite the whirlwind and not the good kind. With many ups and downs, outsiders began to see that the picture-perfect couple may not have been so perfect after all. It seems there were many problems within the relationship that went unseen. Through the finely hidden hints in “Flowers,” the people are getting an insight into the reality of the relationship. While Cyrus has never publicly stated that the song is about Hemsworth, for many, the details are enough to infer the underlying meaning.

The main hint fans have used to backup this reasoning is the mysteriously ‘coincidental’ release date of Jan. 13, which just so happens to be Hemsworth’s birthday. 

Another reference fans found is the mirrored lyrics to the song “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. While some write this off as sole inspiration others have uncovered that Hemsworth supposedly dedicated Mars’s song to Cyrus. The choruses of the two songs begin eerily similar. Cyrus sings “I can buy myself flowers,” and Mars sings “I should’ve bought you flowers.” These lyrics are not the only lyrics that coincide. While Mars states lyrics in his song such as “should’ve given you all my hours” and “[shoud’ve] held your hand.” Cyrus mirrors this and states that she can talk to herself for hours and can hold her own hand.

While there are many other smaller hints, the final larger reference is found at the very beginning when Cyrus sings “We were good, we were gold/Kind of dream that can’t be sold/We were right till we weren’t/Built a home and watched it burn,” which listeners have connected it to the 2018 Woolsey fire which caused the partners shared home in Malibu to burn down. According to Cosmopolitan in Cyrus’s interview with Rolling Stone, she stated that “the fire was a contributing factor in why the pair got married.” In the interview she went on to say that the fire “did what I couldn’t do myself… It removed me from what no longer was serving its purpose. And then as you drown, you reach for that lifesaver and you want to save yourself. I think that’s really what, ultimately, getting married was for me. One last attempt to save myself.”

Some call it a self-love anthem and others call it a diss track, whatever it is, according to listeners the brutal yet real message behind the song is both relatable to some and intriguing to others. There is nothing teens, young adults and pop listeners everywhere love more than a good song about a breakup. “Flowers” looks to be a hit which leaves everyone in the industry to wonder what could possibly be in store for Cyrus and her future music?